Can a non-Jew celebrate Sukkot? Can they sit in a sukkah, attend a Yom Tov meal, or perform the mitzvot of the holiday? And are the rules different for someone who is actively preparing to convert to Judaism?
In this Ask the Rabbi Q&A, Rabbi Chaim Coffman discusses the participation of non-Jews in Jewish holidays, with particular attention to Sukkot and Orthodox conversion. The discussion covers:
Can a non-Jew participate in Sukkot?
Is it different for someone preparing for an Orthodox conversion?
Why must a prospective convert learn Jewish practices before becoming Jewish?
Why shouldn’t a non-Jew observe a Jewish festival exactly as a Jew does?
Which Jewish mitzvot are specifically obligations of the Jewish people?
Why is learning Torah with a qualified teacher so important during conversion?
Can a non-Jew be invited to a Yom Tov meal?
What are the Ushpizin, the traditional spiritual guests welcomed into the sukkah?
Are women obligated to sit in the sukkah?
How do some Ashkenazi and Sephardi practices differ regarding women and the sukkah?
Can a non-Jew put up a mezuzah?
What makes a sukkah halachically valid?
Why is cremation prohibited in traditional Jewish law?
Rabbi Coffman also discusses an important distinction between someone simply interested in Jewish practices and someone seriously pursuing conversion. A prospective convert needs opportunities to learn and practice Jewish observance, while also recognizing that they have not yet become obligated in mitzvot as a Jew.
The broader discussion examines why many Torah commandments are specifically directed to the Jewish people and why understanding Jewish practice requires more than simply adopting individual rituals.
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